Videoconferencing apps are nothing new; in fact, the market seems to be filled with all sorts of entrants, old (like Skype) and new (like Zoom). Today, Amazon announced the availability of its new videoconferencing service Chime, which is seemingly designed to eliminate all of the pain points of the other systems that have been in use up to this point.
Chime offers “exceptional” audio and video quality, meetings call participants so that everyone joins at once and individuals don’t have to fumble for call-in numbers or access codes, and participants (up to 16 on a desktop or 8 on a mobile device) can see each other — all the same size — in small square windows.
The apps are currently available for Mac and iOS in the Apple world, as well as for Windows and Android. The service itself is free for 2 users, $2.50 per month per user for up to 2 users with screen sharing added in, and $15.00 per month per user pays for up to 100 users with other features like remote desktop control, recording meetings, and call-in phone lines. The first 30 days of usage are free, and users can continue to use the service for free with limited capabilities for as long as they want.
We’ll be giving Chime a test and full review in the near future.
